Disability Action - Cost of Living Crisis
The cost-of-living crisis is escalating in front of our eyes. Deaf and disabled people cannot wait for action to be taken. We have been severely impacted by the cost-of-living crisis. This is on top of extra costs that we as disabled people already face.
Research conducted by Disability Action has demonstrated that 78% of deaf and disabled people do not have enough money to have a decent life[1]. Deaf and disabled people face a higher risk of poverty and have done so for more than two decades[2]. Energy for powering essential equipment such as hoists, beds, breathing equipment, powered chairs, and monitors was already expensive, with the extra costs of disability estimated at £600 per month pre-crisis[3]. These costs are escalating and spiralling out of control.
Deaf and disabled people are trapped in a vicious and ever-increasing cycle of poverty. Deaf and disabled people and their families face the terrifying reality of not being able to afford to run life-saving machinery and purchase food or pay for heat which are the basics of modern life.
Disability Action casework shows that deaf and disabled people are facing energy costs of between £1500 and £1800 per month. Deaf and disabled people are rationing access to life-saving machinery as a result and this has become a dangerous routine. Without a sustainable intervention from Government, disabled people will die this winter. This is not an alarmist position. We know this is the case from previous emergencies. We need Government to act now to save lives.
[1] Toman, N. et al (2022): Progress towards the implementation of the UNCRPD in Northern Ireland, page 11 (Disability Action for ECNI).
[2] Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2022): UK Poverty 2022 - The essential guide to understanding poverty in the UK, page 57